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Alex Davies, Jordan Clark and Joe Mennie all threatened match-winning hands, but all fell to Porter as the defending champions held on by 31 runs

Alan Gardner at Chelmsford22-Apr-20182:57

Defending champions Essex off the mark

ScorecardThree times during this third and final day at Chelmsford, Lancashire began to seriously raise hopes of pulling off a chase for the ages. Three times Jamie Porter thundered in and found the ball to quell Essex fears. Alex Davies, Jordan Clark and Joe Mennie each scored valiant half-centuries but all three were victims of Porter’s indefatigable seam bowling, as the defending champions claimed victory in the sort of hard-fought, sun-drenched contest after which victory beer slips down like ice water.It can’t be long before they start serving pints of Porter porter at the Spinner’s Bar. The 24-year-old collected 9 for 80 to continue the form that saw him lead the Division One wicket-taker’s list in 2017, celebrating the dismissal in particular of Davies with a throaty roar. That left Lancashire 139 for 5 and although Clark took them to within 77 of victory with three wickets still standing, Porter speared a delivery into his pads to ease the tension.Still Lancashire kept coming, with zombie determination, as the Australia seamer Mennie clubbed his way to fifty, bringing the requirement down to 38 with the arrival of the second new ball. Eight deliveries was all it took for Porter to rattle the stumps and finally end Mennie’s resistance.”He digs in and has a crack,” was the assessment of Porter’s team-mate, another Australian, Peter Siddle. “That’s what you want from your main fast bowler. Coming off a big year last season, needed to come out here and start well, and he was tremendous. He tries hard and deserves every wicket he gets.”Lancashire have now lost two from two but certainly found some fibre to fortify their batting, after failing to reach 200 in three previous innings. They had been left with too much to do, stretched out of shape by the eighth-wicket stand of more than 100 between James Foster and Simon Harmer on the second evening. Keeping Harmer to just a single wicket in the fourth innings on a wearing pitch was little consolation.Davies could have been accused of giving his wicket away in the first innings, chipping tamely to mid-off having faced 17 balls, but he was the only member of Lancashire’s top order to demonstrate the required graft second time around. There was plenty of class on display, too. Porter was thrashed for three successive fours – two pulls and a drive – and Davies also played Harmer deftly, using his feet to cut the spinner with regularity.Lancashire had given themselves a solid platform, reaching lunch on 82 for 2 with Davies playing beautifully and the captain, Liam Livingstone, reining in his attacking instincts. Those Essex supporters sitting in the Tiptree jam stand could be forgiven for feeling a bit sticky around the collar, with the sun shining and the pitch having eased after 18 wickets fell on the opening day.There was also a suspicion that Essex were a little light on bowling beyond the frontline three of Porter, Harmer and Siddle, with the tall left-armer Paul Walter only in the side after Sam Cook fractured a finger in training the day before the game. Walter was unused during the morning session, but he needed only three ball to break the third-wicket stand: a bouncer and a gentle half-volley pushed for two was followed up by good-length ball that drew another drive and a thick edge from Livingstone.Walter made it two in as many overs when he won an lbw decision against Shivnarine Chanderpaul, not quite such an eternal presence at the crease these days, and the main scoreboard promptly broke down – something Chanderpaul refuses to do, although he has now collected scores of 11, 0, 8 and 1 this season.In the dark about the score, the muttering from the home fans increased as Davies coasted to his half-century and began to open up. He had laced 38 from 30 balls faced after lunch and was looking to be the pivotal figure of the chase, only for Porter to produce a thunderbolt of a yorker that knocked Davies off his feet and sent him back for a fine 71.Dane Vilas fell soon after, a second wicket for Siddle, who then produced a marvellous bit of fielding to leave Lancashire seven down. Having been denied an lbw appeal against Clark, Siddle hurtled across to his right and threw down the stumps with Tom Bailey a yard short having been sent back. Clark might have fallen on 19, but Varun Chopra was unable to hold a fast edge off Ravi Bopara.The morning began with Lancashire required to make the highest score of the match – and significantly more than they had managed in three previous innings this season – in order to inflict Essex’s first defeat since September 2016. The mantra at Essex over the last two seasons is that “no one gets through the new ball” and Porter ensured that held true when he flattened Haseeb Hameed’s off stump in the third over. It was a good enough strategy come the end of the day too.

Chelsea are closing in on the signing of Santos striker Deivid Washington and a new update has provided more details on his imminent move to the Premier League.

Who is Deivid Washington?

Washington is an academy graduate at the Urbano Caldeira Stadium having worked his way up through the various youth ranks to get promoted to Paulo Turra’s first team back in April, but despite still having another three years remaining on his contract, he’s been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.

At the start of August, Fabrizio Romano reported that the Blues had agreed personal terms with the 18 year-old centre-forward and had submitted a bid which was set to be accepted by his club, with the idea being that he would immediately join Todd Boehly’s Strasbourg on loan where he could be closely monitored as part of the owner’s multi-club project.

The Brazilian, however, is yet to have wrapped up his move to SW6 as a result of the Blues focusing all of their attention on big-money deals for the likes of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, though with those players now successfully through the door, it sounds as if the attacker could be the next to follow in their footsteps.

Are Chelsea signing Deivid Washington?

Taking to X, Romano revealed that Chelsea have everything in place regarding the arrival of Washington, whilst sharing the last stages that need to happen in order for him to be announced as the newest member of Mauricio Pochettino’s squad. He wrote:

“Deivid Washington already completed medical tests at Chelsea — it’s about final documents, formal steps then the Brazilian striker will be unveiled as new #CFC player. Santos to receive €16m fixed fee plus €4m add-ons [£17m total]."

How many goals has Deivid Washington scored?

Since the start of his career, Washington has scored eight goals in 29 appearances, so there’s no doubt that he’s a real star in the making and has a bright long-term future ahead of him. But, right now, Chelsea would be making the correct decision to send the striker out on loan to aid his development and increase his exposure.

The youngster has recorded a total of 17 shots over the course of the current campaign which is the third-highest tally throughout his squad, via FBRef, not to mention that he has the qualities to become a physical presence up top where he's averaging 1.1 aerial wins per league game.

Read The Latest Chelsea Transfer News HERE…

Santos’ “talented” prospect, as lauded by football scout Jacek Kulig, also has the ability to operate out wide on the left wing alongside his usual role through the middle, so should he return to become a member of the first team when he's matured, he would provide the boss with welcomed versatility.

The Blues are believed to be closing in on the signing of New England Revolution goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, who is set to undergo his medical today, but he’s not the only fresh face likely to be introduced to supporters before September 1st.

Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies is reportedly expected to renew his contract amid transfer interest from Real Madrid.

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Madrid tracked Davies for monthsBayern offer Canadian superior dealDefender expected to extend stayGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The Spanish giants have been tracking the 23-year-old for months now in an effort to sign him this summer. With the left-back's contract at Bayern expiring in 2025, multiple clubs are keeping tabs on him but it seems the German side may keep him after all. The Athletic's David Ornstein claims the Bundesliga outfit's offer is 'superior' and unless that changes the expectation is Davies will renew.

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Davies is, and has been for years now, one of the best left-backs in the world and he remains a key player for the Bundesliga club. He has made 178 appearances for the club in total, scoring eight goals and providing 28 assists.

Getty ImagesDID YOU KNOW?

Davies was born to Liberian parents in a refugee camp in Ghana and is the fourth youngest of six siblings. His family fled during the Second Liberian Civil War and in 2005 they emigrated to Canada. At the age of 14, Davies relocated to Vancouver to join the Whitecaps FC Residency program and in January 2019 he signed for the mighty Bayern, where he has since flourished.

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WHAT NEXT?

Off the pitch, the January transfer window shuts in a week's time, meaning teams don't have much time to sign the Canadian international. On the pitch, Davies is set to be back in action for Bayern on Saturday away to Augsburg in Bundesliga action.

M Vijay and Virat Kohli added 283 for the third wicket, utterly dispiriting Sri Lanka until Lakshan Sandakan gave them something to cheer with two quick wickets late in the day

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy02-Dec-20172:12

Chopra: Vijay showed he’s India’s No. 1 opener

In deference to the Indian team management’s wishes, there was grass on the Feroz Shah Kotla pitch, but Virat Kohli, at the toss, wished there could have been more. It certainly wasn’t enough to turn New Delhi into Newlands, and India, instead of fighting for survival against snarling South African fast bowlers, settled into a typically subcontinental bat-first, bat-big pattern against a limited Sri Lanka attack, facing more spin (59 overs) than seam (31) on day one.For most of the day, Sri Lanka had nothing to cheer as M Vijay and Virat Kohli added 283 for the third wicket, their partnership an exhibition of relentless self-control and a hunger for runs that never tipped over into greed. India rattled along at more than four an over, and as the shadows lengthened, it seemed as if India would end the day only two down.But wristspin can do strange things, and Lakshan Sandakan, whose figures at that point read 20.5-0-109-0, sent down a deliciously-flighted wrong’un, slanting it across Vijay and asking him to reach out to drive. He didn’t pick the direction of turn, groped for the ball, and missed, dragging his back foot out of the crease in the process. Niroshan Dickwella, quick and nimble, did the rest.In his next over, Sandakan repeated the trick against Ajinkya Rahane. The line was a little wider this time, but again the ball landed on that perfect length, broke in the direction the batsman did not anticipate, and again Dickwella removed the bails with the batsman’s toe on the line. India had gone from 361 for 2 to 365 for 4. Sandakan, whose bowling until that point had made Sri Lanka yearn for the control of the absent Rangana Herath, was now doing what he had been picked to do.Still, this was India’s day. At stumps, Kohli was batting on 156, his third hundred in a row and the quickest – he only took 110 balls to reach three figures – of his 20 in Tests. In the process, he also became the fourth-quickest Indian batsman to 5000 Test runs, getting there in his 105th innings.Until the moment of Sandakan’s transformation, Vijay and Kohli had looked utterly secure. Aside from a couple of clearly not-out lbw shouts, their dominance had gone unchallenged, and, in an indictment of the two specialist spinners, the one bowler who had come remotely close to creating chances was the part-time offspinner Dhananjaya de Silva.On 122, Vijay drove early and sent the ball looping towards midwicket rather than the intended direction of cover; it fell just short of the diving Dinesh Chandimal. Then, on 154, he sent an uppish flick in the same direction. This time it eluded the fingertips of the debutant Roshen Silva. In between, de Silva also found Kohli’s leading edge, which fell between the bowler and mid-off.Bowling exclusively from around the wicket, de Silva ended the day with figures of 0 for 45 in 15 overs. Sandakan and Dilruwan Perera finished with a combined 3 for 207 from 44 overs.The foundation of Kohli’s innings was his supreme reading of the spinners’ length, and thereafter his footwork to pounce on marginal lapses. Before lunch, for instance, he took a massive stride out to a good-length ball from Lakshan Sandakan and bisected wide mid-on and deep midwicket with a whip of his wrists. On 68, he went the other way, deep into his crease, to shorten the length of an otherwise decent Dilruwan Perera delivery and bring his wrists into play once more to find the gap between short fine leg and deep square leg.For the quicker bowlers, a “good” length was a fairly small area on this pitch. When they strayed remotely off that area, Kohli and Vijay were quick to put the ball away. Vijay gave a good demonstration of this with a pair of boundaries in the 23rd over, off Lahiru Gamage: a cover drive, followed by a wristy on-drive, both off balls that were far from half-volleys. Kohli, meanwhile, raced from 43 to 55 courtesy three fours off one Gamage over, the pick of them an on-the-up drive through the covers.Vijay went to tea on 101, and resumed with a flurry of attractive boundaries – an inside-out cover drive off Dilruwan, a square-drive off Gamage, a reverse-paddle off Dilruwan. He would only hit one more four after that, though, as he took the singles on offer and made sure he would do everything in his power to keep his quest for that long-yearned-for maiden double-hundred alive. This time, it would really take a good ball to get him out.This hadn’t been true of Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara, who both got off to breezy starts before falling against the run of play.Once it became clear there was little help in this pitch for the quicks, Dhawan and Vijay were quickly on their way, driving freely on the up and hitting eight fours in the first ten overs. Sri Lanka brought on spin as early as the eighth over, and Dilruwan continued to worry his team with his inconsistent lengths, Dhawan picking up two fours behind point in his first two overs. But he grew a little greedy, and picked out deep square leg with a top-edged sweep on 23. Suranga Lakmal briefly lost the ball in the hazy atmosphere, and lost a shoe while hurriedly changing direction, but managed to hold on.It was Dilruwan’s 100th Test wicket. He might not be the most frugal of spinners, but he has the knack of taking wickets – his 100th had come up in his 25th Test, and no Sri Lankan had got there quicker. Muttiah Muralitharan had taken 27 Tests.In walked Pujara, whose last four partnerships with Vijay read 107, 178, 102 and 209. They seemed to be continuing from where they left off in Nagpur, while scoring twice as quickly, and Pujara in particular was putting the bowlers through the shredder, hitting four fours in the space of three overs, including two back-foot whips off marginally short balls from Dilruwan. But this time, the partnership would only get as far as 36.Lahiru Gamage broke it, Sri Lanka profiting from the same plan that had brought them Pujara’s wicket in the second innings in Galle in late July. Then, he had flicked a full ball from Lahiru Kumara to leg gully. Now, he tucked one off his legs in the same direction, just uppishly enough for Sadeera Samarawickrama to take a sharp catch falling to his left.

Ange Postecoglou has explained what happened when he became involved in an explosive touchline row during Tottenham's win over Bournemouth.

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Postecoglou involved in touchline rowTottenham beat Bournemouth 3-1Spurs boss booked for his outburstWHAT HAPPENED?

Tottenham ended 2023 with a 3-1 win against Bournemouth on New Year's Eve, but tensions boiled over in injury-time when Postecoglou had to be dragged away from a touchline row with Bournemouth staff. Spurs were incensed that Bournemouth didn't put the ball out when Alejo Veliz went down injured, with Postecoglou, Giovani Lo Celso and Bournemouth staff member Shaun Cooper all booked following the ensuing row.

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPWHAT POSTECOGLOU SAID ABOUT THE ROW

The Tottenham boss played down the shocking incident after the match. When asked about the touchline confrontation, Postecoglou joked to reporters: "We all just came together to wish each a Happy New Year mate. Make some resolutions."

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Spurs bounced back from a disappointing 4-2 defeat to Brighton with the 3-1 win in north London. The victory, coupled with Arsenal's 2-1 loss to Fulham, saw Postecoglou's side move to within a point of the Premier League top four.

Manchester United are edging ever closer to getting a deal over the line for Rasmus Hojlund this summer, with The Independent reporting that the side is in "advanced" talks over a move for the striker with just finer details left to finalise.

What is the latest Manchester United transfer news?

The Red Devils have been linked with numerous players already this summer, as they look to build on what was a solid 2022/23 season in the Premier League. They finished in the top four and bagged themselves a place in the Champions League, and whilst there was no silverware to show off, they did go far in the FA Cup and will have an eye on getting their hands on a trophy next time around.

It means that there has been plenty to talk about this summer window in terms of United already. For starters, they now appear to have an interest in signing Federico Chiesa, despite already having a wealth of wingers. Newcastle and Liverpool had been the two frontrunners for his signature, but the Juventus man is now on the radar of the Red Devils too.

They have yet to lodge an official bid, but he could be available for sale with the Turin outfit needing funds. They have also had Leon Goretzka on their wanted list, but that move now looks unlikely. Even though it looked like Bayern would be willing to flog the attacking midfielder, the player himself wants to stay with the German outfit and that has now put the Red Devils off making a move for him.

Is Rasmus Hojlund joining Manchester United?

The big name that looks to be heading to Old Trafford, with things progressing, is Rasmus Hojlund. It was reported that United were preparing to make an official bid for the attacker, with the youngster himself happy to move to England and to the Red Devils this summer. All that was left to do was to sort out the financial side of things with Atalanta, with the Italian outfit wanting money and not a player exchange.

Now, according to a report from The Independent, talks between the two clubs are "advanced" and the smaller details are being ironed out. Hojlund himself appears ready to move to United once a deal has been sorted out and it might even cost the Red Devils less than they anticipated too, with a fee touted in this report at £60m.

There are set to be add-ons though, which is what are still being worked out, but with talks moving forward a deal could be done to soon send him to the Premier League.

It appears as though the sky could be the limit for Hojlund. Everybody has been quick to rave about the striker if they have seen him play, with football talent scout Jacek Kulig labelling the forward as a "monster in the making" for his physical traits – the striker has been likened to Erling Haaland due to his mixture of size and speed.

He's already bagged goals for club and country and the youth football writer added that 2023 is "his year".

It shows that he is highly thought of already and that it looks like there could be more to come from the wonderkid. United will want that to be with them and if he can continue this upward trajectory, then he could not only solve their goalscoring issues now but help lead their line for the forseeable future too.

Crystal Palace are still waiting to hear whether Wilfried Zaha intends to stay on at the club, but it appears Roy Hodgson's side are ready to bring in a new attacking player regardless.

Who are Crystal Palace signing?

Palace have so far signed only Jefferson Lerma this summer on a free transfer following his Bournemouth exit, but a few others could be set to follow.

Flamengo attacking midfielder Matheus Franca has been touted as a possible target for the Eagles, as have Arnaut Danjuma and Perr Schuurs of Villarreal and Torino respectively.

According to the Daily Mail, Southampton striker Che Adams is another player being eyed up by Hodgson to potentially lead Palace's attack this coming Premier League season.

The report suggests that Palace have enquired as to Adams' availability, but they may also face competition from London rivals Fulham – set to lose star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic – for a player valued at £15m by the Saints following their relegation to the Championship.

How many goals has Che Adams scored in the Premier League?

After proving himself in League One and the Championship, Adams has spent the past four seasons as a regular in the Premier League at Southampton.

The 23-cap Scotland international has scored 25 goals in 123 top-flight appearances, which is a hugely underwhelming figure on the face of it. However, he is a creative forward, as highlighted by his 0.9 key passes per game last season – as per WhoScored – which only James Ward-Prowse (1.9) could better among Southampton regulars.

On the basis of last season alone, Adams scored five goals and assisted three in a poor Southampton side – an average of 0.36 goals or assists per 90 minutes. As per FBref, that figure was bettered by only two Palace players – Michael Olise (0.43) and Eberechi Eze (0.48).

Zaha, incidentally, averaged 0.35 goal involvements (as did Odsonne Edouard), which shows that Adams did not have as bad a season as the figures initially suggest as he actually outperformed the Ivory Coast international in that regard.

There are other similarities between Adams and Zaha, in fact, given they both scored from 0.11 of the shots they attempted in the Premier League last season.

Adams has often been used as a substitute by Southampton, which may also be the case at Selhurst Park, and the 27-year-old previously earned praise from then-boss Ralph Hasenhuttl for the "fantastic" attitude he shows when being used as a backup player.

Beyond a steady number of goals and assists, Adams is also a threat in the air, ranking as he does in the top 22% of all forwards across Europe's top five leagues last season for aerial duels won, according to The Analyst.

Indeed, the 2.76 aerial duels Adams won per 90 last season was bettered only by Jean-Philippe Mateta (3.02) among Palace players.

Adams would not be a like-for-like replacement for wide player Zaha, of course, and the signing would not exactly get supporters out on the streets celebrating, but it could be a shrewd piece of business for the Eagles as they bring in a player who has showed he can do a job in the top flight.

Sarah Taylor has declared that she is “back, and ready to face the World Cup and the scrutiny that professional sport brings,” after taking a year-long break from the game to combat an anxiety condition.Taylor, who is widely recognised as one of the most naturally talented female cricketers of her generation, took an indefinite break from cricket in the aftermath of last year’s World T20 in India. However, she was last week included in England’s 15-strong squad for the Women’s World Cup, which gets underway in just under a month’s time.Her inclusion followed a successful reintegration into the England set-up during a recent training camp in the UAE, where she took the field in a practice match against Ireland, scoring 26 not out in the second of three warm-up wins.”It’s been a tough 12 months and lots has been learned in that time,” Taylor said in an interview arranged by the ECB. “In terms of where I am with my cricket, I’m incredibly comfortable to be back playing and the girls have been absolutely brilliant. It’s just nice to be back around them and the fact that the World Cup is at home as well makes it extra special. To be back in time for the World Cup has been a hard journey but very worth it so far.”Prior to her diagnosis, Taylor’s condition was so acute at times that she found herself running off the field of play to be sick, while she also struggled with day-to-day issues such as taking public transport. A course of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) helped her to overcome many of the most debilitating traits of her illness, although she does accept that the pressures and scrutiny of a home World Cup campaign will bring a whole new challenge.”I don’t think we can shy away from the fact that in a World Cup there will be pressure,” she said. “Through what I’ve dealt with over the last 12 months I feel like I’m probably mentally strong enough to deal with those pressures. All I want to do is help someone else get through it, so I don’t think I’m any different to anyone else.”To be honest, when I took that break I didn’t look too far ahead. I couldn’t. I was always told to not look too far in the future, to take it day by day and as it comes. Literally getting out of bed was the highlight of a day and then accept that doing something brilliant might mean walking outside, that was a tick in the box.Sarah Taylor has been absent from England duty for the past year•Stephen Pond/Getty Images

“To look towards the World Cup never even got into my head, it was never something I was striving for at the time, then all of a sudden I found myself wanting to train again and, like I said before, it actually benefitted my day-to-day learnings and my anxiety through that. Next thing I knew I was on a plane going to Abu Dhabi and that was a very last-minute decision.Looking ahead to the World Cup itself, Taylor Is in no doubt about the team’s overall aim for the tournament. “Ultimately you want to win the tournament, don’t you?” she said. “But for me it’s literally just a case of day-by-day assessing where I am – anxiety-wise, cricket-wise, everything in my head. If not, what can we do to help me get through a training session, a game, everything like that.”My success, from a very personal point of view, is obviously to perform and be consistent in my performances but flip that to the mental side of things and it’s about getting through the tour unscathed. I’m realistic that there probably will be some bumps but, actually, if I get through it I should look back and be completely proud of myself for doing it. I’m proud that I’ve even put myself out there to do it. I want to win as much as the next person – and I’m hoping that there’ll be success with my own mental health and we can see a trophy at the same time.”

UAE picked up their first win in a first-class game since September 2013, and their maiden win of the 2015-17 Intercontinental Cup with a nine-wicket triumph over PNG

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Mohammad Naveed took two wickets in the first innings and four in the second•AFP

Lega Siaka’s career-best 142 not out was not enough to prevent a nine-wicket defeat for Papua New Guinea at the hands of United Arab Emirates in their Intercontinental Cup match in Abu Dhabi. It was UAE’s first win of the competition, and their first since September 2013 in first-class cricket, also by the same margin. In the interim, they had lost three of their four matches – two of them by heavy margins – and drawn the other.”It’s an awesome feeling,” Dougie Brown, the UAE coach, said. “There has been a lot of work that has gone into this in the past three months, and all the credit for embracing the work and the vision we have presented goes to the players.”It was a pretty flat wicket. I thought the way the guys stuck to it with the ball and in the field was absolutely exceptional. Dominic Tello [UAE assistant coach] deserves a lot of credit for the hours he has put in, but the guys deserve most of the credit because they are the ones putting in the hard work.”UAE dominated the match right from the first day. Having chosen to bat, PNG were quickly in trouble as seamers Mohammad Naveed and Qadeer Ahmed dismantled the top-order to leave them 33 or 3. From there, it was all downhill. Jack Vare and Chad Soper, PNG’s Nos. 8 and 9, scored 38 each to lift them from 110 for 7 to 194. The new-ball pair of Naveed and Qadeer shared five wickets and spinners Imran Haider and Ahmed Raza took the rest.UAE gained a 247-run first-innings lead, courtesy a 63 from Rameez Shahzad and centuries from Muhammad Usman and Saqlain Haider. Both raised their maiden first-class centuries – both were playing their third game. Usman was dismissed for 103, while Saqlain remained unbeaten on 102 when UAE declared at 441 for 8. Legspinner Mahuru Dai took 4 for 126, his best returns in first-class cricket.”I think I’m right in saying the team haven’t scored 400 before in a first innings,” Brown said. “For them to get that and for us to be in a position where we can declare, to give ourselves the best part of five sessions to try to win the game, was fantastic.”PNG managed to make UAE bat again courtesy Siaka, who scored nearly 50% of his team’s second-innings runs. Siaka began day four on 51, having taken PNG to 152 for 4 (effectively minus 95 for 4) in the company of Sese Bau. Bau fell early, ending a fifth-wicket stand of 67. Thereafter, it was all Siaka until he ran out of partners. Legspinner Haider, who scythed through the top half of PNG’s line-up, and Naveed took four wickets each for UAE.UAE needed a mere 42 to win. They lost Laxman Sreekumar for 4, before Shaiman Anwar blitzed an unbeaten 32 off 19 balls as UAE knocked off the runs in just 5.5 overs.Dipak Patel, the PNG coach, put the defeat down to lack of first-innings runs, but added there was plenty to learn from it.”In the first innings we didn’t get enough runs,” Patel, the former New Zealand spinner, said. “There is a lack of experience among our batsmen. We are still learning. This is only the fourth time they have played a four-day game.”The natural instinct for our players is to play shots. We can take a lot out of it, particularly the classy knock by Lega Siaka in the second innings.”

Brendon McCullum is heading back to Middlesex for the NatWest Blast campaign

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Mar-2017Middlesex have re-signed Brendon McCullum for this season’s NatWest T20 Blast campaign.McCullum, who made six appearances for Middlesex last season, will re-join in early July and be available for nine of Middlesex’s South Group matches.Middlesex’s use of Lord’s for T20 is limited. Two of McCullum’s appearances this term will be home matches under the floodlights at Lord’s on Thursday nights, against London rivals Surrey on July 13, and against Essex a fortnight later, with a capacity crowd anticipated on both occasions.McCullum will also feature in two of Middlesex home outground matches, against Somerset at Uxbridge and against Kent at Richmond.Middlesex are one of two counties to have taken advantage of the new condensed midsummer format by bringing in Dan Vettori, the former New Zealand spinner, as a specialist T20 coach; Derbyshire have followed a similar route with the appointment of another Kiwi, John Wright.Middlesex’s managing director of cricket, Angus Fraser, said: “We are naturally delighted to have Brendon back to play for Middlesex in this season’s NatWest T20 Blast.”Brendon had a hugely positive influence on the club in 2016 and I’m sure he will have a similar impact this summer.”Middlesex’s improved Twenty20 form last season saw them reach the quarter-final before going down to Northants at Northampton.